Inkef, Sirius inject €2m into Aito

The capital will be put towards accelerating the global commercial rollout of its product base. The company also plans on bolstering its sales team.

Aito began reaching out to potential investors last summer, according to its CEO Rene de Vries. A shortlist was compiled in December 2013, with the final selection of investors taking place in March this year.

The investment marks the second capital injection made in the company by Inkef; Sirius is a new backer of the company. Inkef led a $1.2m funding round for Aito in May 2012.

Company
Aito was formed in 2007 through the merger of a Dutch company that produced piezo (piezoelectric) keyboards and a Finnish team that specialised in haptic feedback. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam with a research and development facility in Espoo, Finland.

Aito has developed the AitoChip, designed to allow manufacturers to produce touch-panel overlays from any material, such as glass, metal, wood, fabric or ceramic.

The chip is based on software enhanced piezo (SEP) technology, which the company claims is a reliable and robust solution to touch user-interface technology. Its SEP Touch switch can be triggered through most overlays and in most environmental conditions, regardless of moisture, heat and dirt.

The company anticipates its technology being used in kitchen appliances and white goods, consumer electronics, medical devices, wearables, industrial equipment and vehicles. It employs 15 staff.

People
Rene de Vries is the CEO of Aito. Sirius partner Johannes Peschko is joining the company's supervisory board, on which Inkef founder Frank Landsberger already sits.

Advisers
Equity – AKD, Francois Koppenol (Legal); Lexense, Mathijs van Doormalen (Legal).
Company – Herman Vos (Corporate finance); De Breij, Joris Boon (Legal).

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• Topics
• Benelux
• Technology
• Early-stage
• Netherlands
• Sirius Venture Partners GmbH